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Prison overcrowding, assaults and inmates who go directly from isolation to freedom on the streets are just some of the concerns Nebraska lawmakers continue to confront, balancing priorities with a projected budget shortfall in 2017.

Inside the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln, a petition addressed to the warden included 475 names and inmate numbers, arguing programming within the institution is too difficult to access and too limited in scope. Inmates write that by limiting programs, the institutions hurt their chances at parole and a successful life after incarceration.

State lawmakers questioned Nebraska Department of Corrections leaders at a recent hearing in Lincoln, saying answers from the department are too hard to come by.

"Our data is nonexistent."

"Our data is nonexistent," said one lawmaker on the panel, concerned the issue would stall progress toward expanding programming.

Nebraska State Penitentiary inmate Brandon Jones created the petition, a copy of which was obtained by KETV NewsWatch 7. Jones is serving time for second-degree assault and terroristic threats.

He writes in the petition, the lack of programming creates an environment "hostile" to rehabilitation. Incarceration becomes more about warehousing human beings, "at the expense of taxpayers."

State Senator Bob Krist, of Omaha, has focused on issues surrounding Nebraska prisons for years. A key investigation recently focused on how convicted killer Nikko Jenkins was able to leave isolated confinement directly for freedom on Omaha streets, even after threatening violence.

"It all rolled back to what kind of treatment did he have," State Sen. Krist explained.

"Did (Jenkins) have any anger management treatment, or did he have any of his requested treatments? The answer is no," Krist continued.

Inmate Brandon Jones voiced the same concerns in the petition, writing, "when programs are not readily available in such a volatile environment ... Problems arise."

State Senator Patty Pansing Brooks, of Lincoln, also serves on a special panel addressing prison issues.

"Without the programming, without behavioral health, we're just preparing people to return to prison," Pansing Brooks said.

Nebraska's Department of Corrections said no staff members were available for an interview, but a spokesperson did provide information on wait lists for certain classes.

Staff say 163 inmates are currently waiting for violence reduction programming and nearly 350 are on a wait list for residential substance abuse treatment.

At the same time waiting lists grow, staff report increased assaults, nearly the same number in August 2016, as the entire year in 2015.

Pansing Brooks believes the issue is also connected to prison overcrowding.

"When they show up to the parole board, the board says 'you haven't dealt with any of the anger issues that were part of your charges,'" and parole is denied, she explained.

Lawmakers say they need more information about where things stand and what department staff need to continue progress they've made. Those requests will compete with a wide range of priorities in the 2017 legislative session, as lawmakers confront a budget shortfall estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars.

Krist, though, says the issue is critical.

"We need to try and make sure conditions in the prison system get safer, and safer, and safer," for inmates, officers and staff, he explained.

The special legislative committee is expected to release a report on prison issues and possible solutions next month, with strong recommendations to the Governor's office.

"We cannot force the executive branch to spend money," Pansing Brooks said," but we can make strong recommendations and that's our intention."